OUR WORK

ALICE

Who is ALICE?

We all know ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.

ALICE families have household incomes above the Federal Poverty Level, but below a basic cost-of-living threshold. The Connecticut Report is a study of financial hardships in our state. ALICE may be your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues, and represents every race, ethnicity and gender. She lives in every area of our state. ALICE is your nursing assistant, childcare worker, home health aide, car mechanic, security guard, teaching assistant, store clerk and office assistant – workers essential to every community’s success, but who struggle to survive on what these jobs pay.

Meet ALICE

The Facts

The updated 2018 Connecticut United Way’s ALICE Report reveals:

In central and northeastern Connecticut, 40 percent of residents are living below the ALICE threshold.

The composition of the ALICE population is men and women, young and old, of all races.

The breakdown of jobs in Connecticut by hourly wage (45 percent of jobs pay less than $20/hour) compared to what it costs to survive for a family of four (2 adults, 1 infant, 1 preschooler) – $71,580.

Every city and town in Connecticut has ALICE households. All of Connecticut’s cities and towns have at least one in five households that fit the ALICE definition for financial hardship.

The financial hardships that ALICE faces affect the overall social and economic stability of our communities. Our United Way’s service area statistics can be downloaded below.

What is our United Way doing to help ALICE?

We raise awareness about ALICE and the need to help ALICE become and stay financially secure. We invest in programs and initiatives that help stabilize ALICE families now and in the future. This includes childcare and early-learning, financial security, and basic needs programs.